1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of publication, and in particular to the binding of a protective cover to magazines, for use on airplanes, trains, buses, and so on.
2. Description of Related Art
Protective covers are commonly used to protect printed material from the normal wear and tear caused by repeated handling of the printed material. Airlines and other public carriers often offer their customers reading material for their enjoyment during the flight. This provided material includes xe2x80x98repeated usexe2x80x99 material, such as a magazine, that is intended to be read by a passenger, then returned for reading by other passengers. Each magazine thus provided is intended to last for a month or more, and will typically be handled by dozens, or tens of dozens of passengers.
A number of techniques have been used to provide a suitable protective cover to magazines for use on an airline. Originally, reusable vinyl binders were used that contained a rod, beneath which the spine of the magazine was placed. These binders, however, required the manual replacement of each magazine when the next issue of the magazine was published, typically monthly. If the binders contained an identification of the magazine, this process could be very time consuming, because each new magazine would need to be collated with the corresponding binder. If the binders did not contain an identification of the magazine, boarding delays were incurred as passengers spent time at the entry way hunting for their favorite reading material.
Another problem with these binders was the weight of the binders. Generally, a metal frame was required to hold the rod that affixed the magazine within the folder. Depending upon the desired robustness of the binder, the desired ease of replacing the magazine each month, and other factors, the frame could be quite substantial. The combined weight of the vinyl protective cover and metal attachment device could be significant. The airline industry is extremely weight conscious, and a less weighty solution is preferred.
The replacement of the magazines in the binders with each new issue also introduced the potential for a dishonest use of the removed magazine. If the magazine did not show evidence of use, one could attempt to sell the magazine as new, or, in conjunction with a magazine retailer, could return the magazine as an unsold prior issue. Magazine publishers routinely credit retailers for unsold copies of their magazine, in order to encourage retailers to keep their shelves stocked with the magazine, without a risk of loss to the retailer because of an overstock.
Disposable protective covers alleviated some of the manual labor burden, and reduced the weight of the covers by simplifying the means used to affix the magazine to the cover. Because the protective cover only had to last a month or so, the affixing rod could be replaced by an elastic cord attached to the cover at top and bottom that ran the length of the magazine""s spine, thereby reducing the cost and weight of the cover. By the end of the month or so, however, these elastic cords were likely to fail, particularly in the covers used to contain popular and/or heavy magazines. It was not unusual to find numerous magazines separated from their covers at the end of each flight. U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,262, xe2x80x9cMagazine Coverxe2x80x9d, issued Dec. 5, 1978 to Du Corday, presents a plastic cover with a slot formed in a reinforced spine, with pockets for inserting the magazine cover sheet, and is incorporated by reference herein. Presumably, this cover was inexpensive enough to be disposable if required, but durable enough to be reused.
Another type of disposable protective covers includes a plastic and paper stock cover that is affixed to the magazine by an adhesive spine. Being of plastic and paper stock material, the thickness, and therefore the weight, of the cover can be optimized to provide an appropriate level of durability. A clear or semi-clear plastic sheet is used as a front cover, to allow the front cover of the magazine to be seen, and a heavy stock paper sheet is used as a rear cover. The use of a paper sheet allows advertisements to be included on the cover, thereby providing revenue to offset the cost of providing the cover. An adhesive strip runs the length of the spine, and serves to adhere the front and back covers to the magazine in the vicinity of the spine. U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,414, xe2x80x9cProtective Magazine Coverxe2x80x9d issued Jan. 12, 1993 to Small et al discloses such a technique, and is incorporated by reference herein. Other techniques have also been disclosed, including DE 4416668, issued Nov. 17, 1994 to Elissen et al, wherein the front and rear covers are designed to overlay, and each wrap around the spine.
The latest generation of disposable, permanently affixed, protective covers include a paper and plastic cover that is glued directly to the spine of the magazine. Being glued to the magazine, the likelihood of the cover being separated from the magazine is minimal. The plastic portion of the cover substantially forms the front of the cover, and is clear to provide an easy identification of the included magazine. The paper stock portion of the cover, which extends across the spine and forms the back cover, includes advertising on the rear cover, and is also configured to facilitate subsequent printing, so that an identification of the included magazine can be printed on the spine, to ease the task of finding a preferred magazine among a variety of magazines.
At least a million magazines are provided to the various airlines each month, and therefore a reduction in the cost of providing protective covers for these magazines has the potential of generating significant additional profits, or the potential of generating a significantly greater market share to a vendor who can provide the product at a lower price.
It is an object of this invention to provide a cost effective process for producing protective covers for magazines. It is a further object of this invention to provide a fast-turnaround process for producing protective covers for magazines. It is a further object of this invention to provide an efficient and cost effective process for producing robust protective covers for magazines.
These objects and others are achieved by providing a process for producing protective covers that is optimized for low cost and fast turnaround. A variety of techniques are employed within this process, each of which provides a cost or time advantage compared to conventional fabrication techniques. To optimize turnaround time, the glue that is used to adhere the protective cover to the magazine is formulated to be extremely aggressive and extremely fast drying. To assure consistent aggression and drying, the gluing process is regulated by the source of glue, based on the availability of glue at the appropriate application temperature. To further assure consistent aggression, particularly with high-gloss or relatively thin magazines, the gluing process includes an optional brushing of the exterior spine of the magazine to provide a suitable surface area for the glue to adhere. To minimize production cost and time, the gluing process includes printing of the magazine title on the exterior spine of the cover simultaneously with the application of glue to the exterior spine of the magazine, thereby eliminating the need to preprint and presort covers for each magazine title.